Stolen Italian passport linked to missing Iranian

Stockholm - The passenger who used a stolen Italian passport toboarded the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines plane at the weekend was believed to be an Iranian travelling to Sweden, police said.

Stockholm newspaper Aftonbladet said it had been in contact with a man in Sweden who said a distant relative in Iran had been on the plane and was travelling on an Italian passport.

Police in the west coast city of Gothenburg told dpa they had received a missing persons report and have forwarded it to Interpol, but could not comment further.

The missing relative, said to be in his 30s, was planning to seek asylum in Sweden. He had travelled firts to Malaysia as the Asian country does not require visas for Iranian nationals, and had planned to fly Kuala Lumpur - Beijing - Amsterdam - Copenhagen.

From Copenhagen, Denmark, the man had planned to seek asylum in neighbouring Sweden, the report said.